Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was released from the hospital on Sunday afternoon.
The prime minister was kept at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan overnight Saturday for observation after being admitted to the emergency department earlier in the day apparently suffering from dehydration. The weekly Cabinet meeting, which usually takes place on Sunday mornings, was accordingly postponed to Monday.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has completed a series of tests and is in excellent condition,” Sheba announced on Sunday. “Our diagnosis, at the end of all the tests performed, including the laboratory tests, is that the reason for the hospitalization is dehydration.”
The hospital’s statement said that “at no point was any heart rhythm disorder diagnosed.” However, “we decided to use a subcutaneous Holter, as is customary, to allow the prime minister’s own medical professional team to continue regular monitoring.”
The device, also known as a cardiac event recorder, is implanted under the skin of the chest or shoulder. They are commonly used if a patient experiences an unexplained stroke, fainting or irregular heartbeat.
The 73-year-old briefly lost consciousness in his private home in Caesarea and subsequently smacked his head on the floor before checking himself into the emergency room.
His personal physician, Dr. Zvi Berkowitz, rushed to Sheba Medical Center to tend to the premier. The doctor described the prime minister’s condition as “good and stable.”
Following his arrival at the hospital, Netanyahu reportedly underwent a brain imaging procedure to rule out brain damage as a result of the fall, in addition to an examination by a cardiologist.
In a video shared on social media after the end of Shabbat, the prime minister clarified: “Yesterday I spent some time at the Sea of Galilee with my wife, in the sun, without a hat and without water. Not a good idea.
“Thank God, I’m feeling very good,” continued Netanyahu, while urging the public to “spend less time in the sun [and] drink more water.”
In recent days, Israel has been experiencing a scorching heat wave, with temperatures reaching as high as 38° (100°F) in the South.
In October, Netanyahu spent a night at the hospital under medical observation due to chest pains that began while he was attending Yom Kippur synagogue services. Medical tests all came back normal, Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem said at the time.
